Golf: Green leads Tauranga Open

Wellington golf professional Andrew Green stole a march on his rivals at the Tauranga Open yesterday.

The 2006 New Zealand amateur champion fired a career low, eight-under 62 to grab the first round lead in the opening event of the Charles Tour in stunning conditions at Tauranga Golf Club.

He has a one-shot lead over Southland amateur Cody Harper, who shot a faultless 63 while Wellington professional Brenden Stuart pocketed seven birdies in his 64 to be in third place.

Four players share fourth place on 65, among them another promising youngster in Wellington's Tom Brockelsby, Australian-based professional Scott Hill, North Island amateur champion Nick Gillespie, of Wellington, and Rotorua's Peter Lee.

Another three players posted rounds of 66, Masterton's international amateur Ben Campbell and professionals Mathew Holten, of Christchurch, and Leighton James, of Hawkes Bay. Superb course preparation and idyllic conditions led to 43 players going under par.

There was also outstanding scoring in the women's competition where New Zealand strokeplay champion Caroline Bon, of Northland, fired a four-under 67 and holds a seven-shot advantage over Gulf Harbour's Rebecca Brownlee and Emily Perry, of Waikato.

But the main kudos went to Green, who started superbly with four birdies on the trot, and turned in five-under 30 before making another three birdies on the back nine.

"I stuck to my routines, sticking to the game plan and trusting myself for a change. Usually the mind wanders and you put in some poor swings," Green said. "What my coach Kevin Smith and I have been working on is to trust it - and look what happened?"

Harper, who has struggled in recent times and missed qualifying for the matchplay phase at the recent New Zealand amateur, fired five birdies and an eagle in his 63.

"I drove it pretty straight and hit the wedges close. I didn't really make many putts but managed to hit it close enough to make some birdies. It's my best round. Holing out on two for an eagle always helps."

Stuart, who tied for eighth in the Tauranga Open last year, had six birdies in his first 12 holes on the way to his 64, while Brockelsby made seven birdies in his round with a double bogey on the 13th.

Manawatu's Regan Cording enjoyed a hole in one at the par-three fifth in his 69, the same score as defending champion Michael Hendry, while European Tour professional Peter Fowler fought back after a quadruple nine at the 13th to shoot 71.

- NZPA